Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I wrote this four years ago on St. Polycarp's feast day.  Learning about the saints is learning the history of our faith and church.  When you're feeling a bit cranky, you can tell people you're just following in the footsteps of this early saint. Polycarp (155? or 166?) is the curmudgeon of all the saints.  I say this with great confidence after reading this story and quote from him: Once on a visit to Rome, he had snubbed the heretic Marcion. "Don't you know who I am Polycarp?" he asked.  "Oh yes," said the saint, "I know the firstborn of Satan when I see him." OUCH! To read the article go to Being Catholic ... Really .

During Lent, God presents us with a fundamental choice. Will we choose to continue to live in our human illusions or will we allow God to reveal His reality to us? Will we cling to false pride or embrace true humility? All too often we think we are more humble than we really are, especially if we have been striving to grow spiritually for a long time. The Pharisees were also earnest about their religious practices. As Christians, it is easy to denigrate the Jewish Pharisees, thinking we have risen above such behaviour because we live in New Testament times, no longer under the burden of the Old Testament Laws. However, before we judge these men too harshly, we should remember they were simply striving to be good, observant Jews. In their zeal, they inadvertently ended up seeking respect for themselves rather than inspiring love for God. continue reading

40 Days for Life was expanded this year. There are two times that we are invited to pray near the facilities of Planned Parenthood. (There used to be only one time of year.) I’m glad to see the expansion of prayer for Planned Parenthood. Read more at Prayerfully Yours

As the Morning Rising: Rest And Be Thankful : '' 'A special helping grace from God.'' I came across two references recently to special helping grac...

I have been listening to a podcast on and off for about a year.  In it, there is one host and three co-hosts. Of the co-hosts, I have noticed that there is one who is particularly happy. She is always willing to say, “Yes, absolutely, I love that idea!!!” She is positive and she brings something- a spunky sense of humor, perhaps?- to the podcast that, frankly, the other co-hosts do not.  The difference between her and the other co-hosts is simple. She is happy.  She also happens to have an incredibly blessed life, and she isn’t constantly on the defensive like many unhappy people I have known or heard on TV or other podcasts. I try to be a happy person... *whatever that means.* If I could write a post dedicated to the way she inspires me (and other people), here is what I would say: 10 things happy people wish you knew 1.  Don’t make excuses for your mistakes. Own them.   When you make a mistake, you can stew and brew, or you can shake it off, with full knowledge that - ha! -

I made a trip to  The Art Institute of Chicago  to see the  Van Gogh's Bedrooms  exhibit.  The exhibit runs through May 10, 2016.  I know the phrase "must see" is overused, but this really is a one of a kind exhibit that is being done only in Chicago, so it really is a "must see." To view the photo gallery, go to Being Catholic ... Really .

The Church of Mercy, by Pope Francis: Book Review For the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, I decided to learn more about the virtue of Mercy. What better book to read than Pope Francis’  The Church of Mercy ? I found this book very insightful. In this book, Pope Francis provides a selection of his 2013 speeches and homilies. Taking into consideration his election as Pope occurred in March 2013, these speeches and homilies were some of his first. Mercy, a hallmark of Pope Francis’ papacy, remains a priority for moving the church forward, as evidenced by his declaration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Throughout the book, Pope Francis... Read more...

THIS MAN

As the Morning Rising: The Bigger Picture : When we walk with eyes wide open we take in the bigger picture – the panorama that nature paints, the artistry of trees, the...

When I was a student I spent some time working with  ‘down and outs’  through the  Simon Community , and later through the  Saint Mungo Community . The work was so difficult, so harrowing, both physically and mentally, that nobody was allowed to work for more than six months. After that you were told to leave, rest, and then get on with the rest of your life, leaving the work to newcomers. The acts of charity performed by St Martin, St Francis, and Pope Francis continued long after they had first discovered  Christ in the neighbour in need.  This was possible not because they were endowed with a superhuman strength of will power denied the rest of us, but because they repeatedly turned to God to have their weak human strength continually surcharged with the divine.   read on.....

Lunar New Year 2016 at  St. Therese Chinese Catholic Church  was celebrated on Sunday, February 21.  This is the Year of the Monkey. This year the celebration was special.  Archbishop Cupich was one of the celebrants.  He has a great sense of humor and seemed to enjoy himself throughout the celebration. You can view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

As the Morning Rising: The Great Ones : The Great Ones We are the great ones Feeding the hungry Clothing the naked Showering them with the Leftovers of our bounty! But wai...

(from The Cloistered Heart)

As usual .. I don't offer your typical review: IT is a small book.  I like small books. Get to the point and do it in the shortest amount of time - life is busy.  Check! Build the idea of your book on the words of Pope Francis.  I like Pope Francis. Talk about getting to the point! I was on Copacabana Beach at World Youth Day, 2013, when Papa Francisco said, "Go!...the experience of this encounter must not remain locked up in your life or in the small group of your parish, your movement, or your community.  I want a mess. I want people to go out!"  Check! Remind people they have been commissioned by their Baptism to share the good news, to be heralds of the Gospel - that it is not just for their benefit.  In fact, if we are not willing to take bold risks -to be MESSY & FOOLISH, For much much more... read here ! All rights reserved, Allison Gingras 2016

I take the Bible, Sacred Scripture, very seriously. As a Catholic I have to, and I'll get back to that. I also pay attention to what some of the best minds of the last few thousand years thought about this sort of thing: " 12 I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, " those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, " those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away. " ( 1 Corinthians 7:29 - 31 ) - - - which is why I still think my youthful decision to stay out of the rat race was right. ( December 13, 2015 ; May 3, 2015 ) I don't, however, take what folks like Harold Camping say seriously. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: God and Us : Relationship is everything when it comes to God and us. In the prayers of morning and in the prayers of night and in silent listening s...

Today, I am stepping aside and letting God love me. I’ve stood in His way so many times because I always had a reason that would make it impossible for Him to love me. I’m not worthy. I’m a terrible sinner. I have nothing to give Him in return. I cannot love Him in the same way He loves me. I’m not perfect. Continue Reading at Prayerfully Yours.

Lent is a time to focus on our discipline of prayer. Here is a prayer story from November, 2015: After completing my  54 Day Rosary Novena jaunt around the house  - I felt compelled to begin another when given a small tattered copy of  Rosary Novenas to Our Lady  (see image below) by a stranger when I attended a friend's Ultreya to hear her give her testimony.  As one who believes in GODCIDENCES (if you ask me there are no coincidences in life especially in spiritual matters), there was no way I was going to ignore this invitation from Our Blessed Mother to spend another month and half in prayer with her! The grace and blessings as I closed on the first 54 days was truly remarkable!! One of the most miraculous moments came when I went to my bank on November 30 - prepared to beg for leniency with overdrafts I was sure had been incurred after paying an unexpected HUGE house bill and then a creditor unwilling to hold off on their payment for just a few days, withdraw another la

I’m a Mother, who believes in the Holy Spirit, works hard, and thrives off the magical moments of faith, but I still find myself dealing with revolving challenges from this noisy world, full of distractions. When these feelings strike, a few good antidotes help me get through. As a single Mother, I’ve blocked out what society expects from me in terms of dating and the chase for a “complete” family consisting of a man and woman in the same house raising children. So many times I’ve seen my single mother friends dating different men and getting them involved too soon, only for a short relationship ride — and poof they’re gone. 5 points that shed light & help on my journey as a single parent. To read the rest of this post, please join me on SingleMomSmiling.com... * This post is a guest post by Donna Morgese

Transfiguration , Fra Angelico, 1440-42 Gospel Luke 9:28B-36 (NRSV, Catholic Edition, Can.) Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When th

A headline, "TED 2016: Space archaeologist wins $1m to find hidden sites" caught my eye this week, and so did news about a very hot Super-Earth's atmosphere.... ...Science? In a 'religious' blog?? During Lent??! I don't see a problem with that. But as I keep saying — I think this universe is billions , not thousands, of years old; Earth isn't flat ; Adam and aren't German ; poetry isn't science ; and thinking is not a sin .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Money might have been tight in our large family and life a bit messy but our lives were filled with activity and fun because God’s creatures were part of our lives. Animals helped transform us into a playful and joyful family who sensed the Love of God in, with and through our pets. continue reading

More soup [recipes] now being served... to be savored & shared… Today featuring both White Bean and Black Bean, via 5 different soups, that are meatless as well... And perfect for this time of year! >> Click HERE to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >>

In early January of this year, I had the privilege of speaking to four different classrooms of students (5th through 8th grade), at two different schools, about my two Catholic YA novels , Finding Grace and Erin's Ring.  I traveled down to Tampa to be a Confirmation sponsor for two of my nieces, and while there, my sister-in-law arranged for me to visit the Catholic school that her 8th grade triplets attend and also the one where she is a 5th grade teacher. This was the second time I've been given the opportunity to speak to students in a classroom setting.  In May of 2015, I visited my niece's 4th grade class in Chicago, to talk to her students about Erin's Ring after they'd read the book together.  (I blogged about the experience here and here , if you'd like to read those posts.) This guy--my best inspiration and my biggest fan--was there to cheer me on, as always. I can't believe I'm about to say this (gulp!)...but if you would be interested i

Photo by Michael Gaida, Public Domain, Pixabay I will die a happy woman. Perhaps, after I die, you will see this post and pray for me. It will help, I know. Even if I have been released from Purgatory when you read this post, your prayers will help other souls Read more at Prayerfully Yours

We are one week into Lent.  How is it going for you so far?  Have you broken your fast promises?  Are you doing great at avoiding chocolate but feel like you need some inspiration?  Are you willing to devote just a few minutes a day growing in knowledge and depth of your faith?  This list is for you.  It is not too late to make this a truly remarkable Lent, visit Veils and Vocations for more information.

 (from The Breadbox Letters)

My husband and I are planning our retirement. We've talked about our expenses and how we'll manage our money. The main topic is where should we live when we retire? You can find out where will retire at Being Catholic ... Really .

Amazing..

This coming Saturday, February 20, 2016 marks the second anniversary of my website, blogging about the virtues! Several of you share parts of your own journey with me, and by doing so encourage me to continue with this ministry. You definitely have a hunger for virtue! I enjoy hearing from you. I love bringing the virtues to you, helping you grow closer to Christ. I hope, in turn, that you share this information with others, to help them grow closer to Christ too. I also hope that you impart your new found wisdom on your children. It’s called a positive rippling effect. Let the ripples flow! Here are a few interesting tidbits... Read more...